It has been two horrific days in a row and at some point in the day, my thoughts turned to all of that nice beer awaiting me at home. Who needs a wife, a girlfriend or a pet or any combination of those when you have beer?

From the bottle: "We're turingin things deliciously upside down with an aggressively hopped cold-fermented brew that brings together the clean crisp finish of a lager with the hoppy aroma and character of an IPA. Prost! to turning convention on its head. [undersigned] Kurt [&] Rob".; "Rotator IPA Series Our Rotating Collection of Uncommonly Great IPAs".

Man, I was anxious! I popped the cap, got an aggro pour going and I was off to the races, baby! Two dense, foamy fingers of French Vanilla-colored head with great retention and I had to wait. It looked like the top of an ice cream cone before it began to fall. Color was a deep, golden-yellow with NE-plus quality clarity, allowing me to see into the future. I will be drinking beer! SRM = 5 to 6 and the triumvirate of Croesus, Mammon and King Midas were all slathering. Not today, boys. Nose smelled like the interior of a pine forest. This is a lager?!? What hath man wrought? Mouthfeel was big, full and creamy, soft as well and the pine hops were like everything of Baby Bear's - just right. Man, I wonder how long they had to tweak this recipe becuase it could have easily been overpowered by the hops. One long draught later and sticky lacing was already beginning to appear. Finish was, indeed, clean and crisp with a lingering taste of hops. Gimme more! (1,543 characters)

This beer I might like just a little too much. Dortmunder golden in color, thin yet persistent white skeined head, with very modest lacing.

The smell is hoppy, with just a tiny touch of sulfur. Lemony skunkiness and a bit of sweet pilsener-y aroma.

The taste is hard to pin down, because it is the odd lager that isn't horrible as it approaches 55F. Cold it is crisp and citrusy hoppy, with a honeyed acidity that I find in my favorite IPAs, but I can't quite place. As it warms, lemon and citrus hops with a noble clean herbal character showing before and after the main american hop presence. On the warm end of drinkable it's very hoppy, but the touch of sulfur really invokes a Czech Pils rather than American IPA.

The mouthfeel is balanced in body, perhaps the heavy side of medium bodied, with the honey acidity playing up the lightness and carbonation.

I really love this beer, and it's an incredible bargain in VA, going for $8 a six when most craft sixes have creeped up to $10. (994 characters)

I decided to try this today. I supposed I would find some hoppy version of standard beer, but I am very happy to report that this is an excellent brew with pleasant hoppiness and a soft happy buzz. I could drink this all day until they take me away. (251 characters)

Picked this up from the Widmer's brewery. An Indian Styled Pale Lager...I classified as an IPA since it is part of Widmer's Rotator IPA Series. Poured from the bottle....clear looking amber color and a decent one finger head. This is a weird one from a smell and taste perspective. Has all the crisp clean features you like from a lager, but there is a nice follow through of hops that makes it a much more interesting beer. I think this is a very good beer...Widmer's did well on this one. (490 characters)

This is really a solid offering. I think IPL are quickly becoming one of my favorite emerging styles. This can hang with any IPA that Widmer has put out in the rotator series. The hops are aggressive, assertive, bitter, and balanced, and the malt character is sweet which I like in IPAs and offers a solid backbone. Well done. (691 characters)

Starts out as malty and assertively hopped. Quite richly flavored for a lager. Slightly sweet with a strong hop presence. Tastes almost savory bitterness is a little on the high side of medium. Mild caramel and an earthy slightly cedar flavored.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall this is one of the best beers I have tasted this year. (556 characters)

Brewed on April 7th 2013.Poured into a pokal clear light to medium golden with a great looking two finger bone white head that clung to the glass like glue,it settled into a moon surface-looking mass after quite awhile.A mix of toasted bread,wet graininess,and grassy/spicy hops,a nice mix with all coming together really well.Flavors of bread dough and mild honey upfront with a nice toasted crispness midway that melds into a "green" spicy/herbal hoppy finish.I gotta say I really liked this beer,Widmer did themselves proud on this hybrid beer wich to me is alot like a uber hopped spring bock. (597 characters)

Poured into a 13 oz snifter, bottled 10/4/13. Pours a dark yellow, with a one inch white head that leaves behind plenty of lacing. Smell is crisp pine, grapefruit, ginger, lemon, and pear. Taste is really crisp, lot of grapefruit and pine along with other tropical flavors. Body is maybe medium, lots of carbonation, a little dry, and easy drinking,will look for this in the summer. This is very good, I like the style and The Widmer Bros always make solid beers. (463 characters)

Appearance - Beautiful Golden amberSmell - Nice mild citrusTaste - nice mellow grapefruit/citrusMouth feel - I had thought it would not deaden the taste buds but it did a little very much like an IPAOverall - I enjoyed this beer very much. Sort of like a light taste IPA, Even my wife said she could drink it unlike most IPA's where she nearly spits it on me.B+ (366 characters)

Tastes like it smells with malt, citrus hops, lemon, orange peel, light grapefruit, biscuit, grass, piney hops, roasted grains, light spices like pepper, herbs like tea leaf, wheat bread and rye (or what seems like rye to me). This is an interesting beer as it has a lot of hops spices but they just peek through and wash down with the grainy/malty flavors; the balance is nice and there is no sign of ABV so this flows down really easy.

Mouthfeel is light and smooth, with an almost buttery feel in part to the very light body and mild carbonation; the finish is on the sweet side with spicy notes and a mild bitterness that trails off almost clean with a bready sweetness lingering. Finish is basically a jacked up lager on hop steroids.

India Style Pale Lager; quite a handle that sums up how this beer tastes and drinks. A very tasty hybrid that is refreshing and easy to drink and one I would consume on a regular basis. I liked this a lot and recommend trying it. (1,361 characters)

Smells like an IPA but drinks like a lager. Aroma floral with some yeast/bready qualities maybe a little orange or other citrus lightly present. Appearance is clear golden yellow lacing present throughout with a nice creamy head that stays throughout. Taste is crisp with a slightly salty bitterness that is pine and roasted malts and pepper. Great balance and it finishes peppery but not bitter. Lager like finish with hops everywhere. This is almost a sessionable IPA/IPL from Widmer’s rotator series. Its exceptional medium to light body with good carbonation and a long finish. Its what I expect from the series which has featured amazing others including O’Ryely and Falconers IPA’s. Its a perfect IPA choice for someone who normally doesn’t like IPA’s. (768 characters)

Drank this in Maui and I must say that this is spot on for the style. Hoppy and yet clean as the style demands. Great nose and great finish on this beer. Would buy it quite a bit if it was available in BC. I can see this style becoming a common one just like DIPAs and IDAs. (274 characters)

Not sure how different a IPL is from an IPA, but this is a very tasty and hoppy brew. Big citrus and herb nose; slightly piney and resiny, with a malted cereal smell, like cream of wheat. Taste follows the nose with a very caramel, toasted flavor coming in after the initial hop charge. Not as bitter a backbone as other IPAs's (even though this is not an IPA), and slightly drier than one would expect considering the strong caramel flavors. The lager yeast gives this beer a clean and dry finish that is very appealing, leaving only the flavor of citrus hops and malty bread to linger. Not the bitter hop bomb that most drinkers seem to want, but still a drinkable and everyday hop heads beer. (695 characters)

Amber color with one finger of dense white head. Good amount of lacing.Smell is pine and citrus.Taste is bitter fruity hops, some leather, some biscuit malts but hops dominate.Mouthfeel is medium bodied and carbonation helps with the crisp nature of this brew.Finish is a lingering bitterness and dry. A very interesting and well made IPA Lager.. (350 characters)

Pours a clear, gold with a 1 finger width, off-white head. Bubbles rapidly raise from the bottom of the glass. Smells and tastes of floral hops along with a balance of toasted, bready malts. The mouthfeel starts with some strong carbonation with a light to medium body. A bitter finish as well. A solid India Pale Lager, would be a great sessionable, flavorable brew if it weren't for its 6.7% ABV. (398 characters)

pours out a wslightly hazed light copper colour. smallish bone white head with some residual lace. full fledged bright NW hop aroma...citric pith, lemongrass, and tangerine. flavourwise is brings the hoppy goods on top of a crisp lagerish malt base. juicy fruit, bubblegum, and and an alchol undertone lets the drinker know that this concoction means business. hints of malt liquor due to the high ABV. a delightful lingering bitterness squashes any residual sweetness and provides a quenching finish. full bodied, creamy/coarse mouthfeel. great drinkability, although i might recommend that you stop to sip a bit becasue you may find yourself wanting to slam this.

overall a pleasant surprise in a uniquely brewed package. i like hoppy lagers, and this one reminds me somewhat of the SA varieties a few years back. recommended! (829 characters)

I picked this up at Giant Beer Garden & eatery in Linglestown PAenjoyed chilled from a glass.

The color is deep amber with good clarity as you might expect from a lager with thick white creamy head that settles to a collapsed ring of fine beads with wavy lace on the glass. The aroma is both citrus and tropical fruit with some floral hop esters adding to a slightly sweet malt aroma.The feel is very dry and has a substantial amount of bitterness with a subtle hint of diacetyl but pretty clean and moderately high carbonation gives the impression of a little more bitter than it is maybe.

The taste is crisp which is expected from lagering, but has a nice amount of tangy hop flavor up front too, it is somewhat peach from first taste until mid palate and becomes a little more citrus and grapefruity into the finish with light astringency in the taste and slight malt toastiness backing up the hops with a gently sweet finish. Overall I am pleased to try this it has a fresh hop vibrancy and is very drinkable -Well done Widmer! (1,037 characters)

T: Just what one would infer from an "India pale lager." Hop profile very reminiscent of Cascade - fruity & floral, but not like Citra or the Oceanic varieties. A nice, sessionable bitterness. On the tail, more cereal grains and a hint of malty sweetness.

M: Light and thin, as with a pils. At first, an odd contrast with the flavor, until it grows on you. A slight lingering thickness from the hoppy aspect.

O: This was my first IPL (before the purchase, I was not even familiar with the style), and so I did not know what to expect, nor did I have a frame of reference for this tasting. It turned out to be exactly what I would think it would be based on the name of the style - the appearance and mouthfeel of a lighter lager with the pleasant hop profile of an APA. Since I'm getting too old to knock back 4-6 IPAs or even pale ales, this is a wonderfully sessionable beer. I would definitely recommend this to someone who likes hop profile but wants something nice and easy. I'll definitely be going back for more. (1,385 characters)

Atmosphere is really nice. Lots of effervescence, giant head, and plenty of lacing. Nose is malty, earthy, and hoppy. Malt, hop, citrus with plenty of pungent bitterness. Overall, this is a really good quaff. (727 characters)

A - Golden colored, slightly murky. 2 finger head with spotted lacingS - Hops with some citrus notesT - Srong hops and malt flavor apparent. Very clean taste with nothing odd flavors coming though.M - A bit bitter on the tongue, but goes down smoothO - Really enjoyed this one from the Widmer crew, great flavor and easy drinkability...real easy to get 3-4 or deep on this stuff (382 characters)